


nana vs. the world

by nakamoon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Dark Comedy, Gen, Happy Halloween!, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Romance, idk tbh, the dreamies are truly the best for halloween fics, uhhh i think this is slight horror mixed with romance and comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-02 21:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16313201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakamoon/pseuds/nakamoon
Summary: “I’m going to kill someone tonight,” Jaemin says with dripping nonchalance, ignoring as their teacher keeps on spewing pythagorean nonsense."What?" Jeno asks, "Who?""Don't know, I still haven't decided," Jaemin can only shrug, leaning back on his desk. "Don't try to stop me, Jeno, I know you. You can come with me if you want, though. In fact, come with me, I need your car."Jeno doesn't really have a choice. Not if he wants to stop his best friend slash maybe boyfriend (???) from committing murder and ending up in prison. Life is hard for Lee Jeno.





	nana vs. the world

**Author's Note:**

> hello and happy halloween! this is just a lil story i wanted to write because 1) im a horror aficionado and 2) i love the dreamies. anyways, this isn't really scary at all, but murder fics are coolio.
> 
> hope you all enjoy, even though this was 100% rushed and it's unbetaed due to time constraint :( also, ig this is dedicated to my fave dream stan, [mel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/edgeplay/pseuds/edgeplay) who loves murder fics as much as i do~
> 
> warning: there are some graphic scenes in there, please be careful!!

 

 

♡

 

The strong afternoon sunlight pours into the window, making Jaemin’s skin look golden. He smiles fuzzily at the trees, chin perched atop his hand looking every bit calm and content. That simple fact in itself, makes Jeno feel happy.

Maybe Jeno ought to look back at the teacher, seeing as he’s explaining next week’s test and the poor boy is nothing short of failing the class; however, the image of a smiling Jaemin is much too alluring for Jeno’s feeble heart.

They sit at the back of the class, where the teacher most likely can't hear them, still, Jeno isn't the kind of student to get into trouble. “Jaem,” he whispers as quietly as he can, “You should be paying attention.”

Jaemin is broken out of reverie, blinking a few times before fixing his gaze on Jeno. “I have a ninety-six in this class.” He doesn't bother whispering, his low tone making a few heads turn in annoyance.

“Na, Lee, do you have to something to share with the class?” Professor Choi asks, stopping mid-sentence.

Jeno doesn't wait for Jaemin to reply, he simply grins at Mr. Choi with the kind of smile that always gets him (or Jaemin, to be precise), out of trouble. “Sorry, I was just asking for a highlighter, Sir.”

Their teacher sighs but moves on, looking back at the whiteboard. Jeno doesn't think Mr. Choi believes them, but Jaemin is right, he has an almost perfect grade in that class and Jeno, well, Lee Jeno is loved by every single adult known to humankind, as Jaemin likes to remind him.

He takes his Gudetama mechanical pencil, light in his hand, and takes a few quick notes, trying to pick up where he left off. That, however, doesn't last very long.

He can feel Jaemin’s eyes on him, following his movements, obviously wanting Jeno’s undivided attention back on him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he manages to whisper even softer than before, not taking his eyes off the front of the class.

“I’m going to kill someone tonight,” Jaemin says with dripping nonchalance, ignoring as their teacher keeps on spewing pythagorean nonsense.

"What?" Jeno asks, "Who?"

"Don't know, I still haven't decided," Jaemin can only shrug, leaning back on his desk. "Don't try to stop me, Jeno, I know you. You can come with me if you want, though. In fact, come with me, I need your car."

Jeno lets out a chuckle, this time, not worrying if Mr. Choi hears him or not. He chuckles because Jaemin is ridiculous, a prankster with bad jokes. Except, if Jeno knows anything at all, it is Na Jaemin, he knows when he’s joking and he knows when he’s serious and this time, for some reason, Jeno knows in his very heart that Jaemin is not kidding. Of course, what Jaemin says is dreadful, but Jeno isn’t surprised. Somewhere along the way between ages eight and eighteen, Jeno knew the day where Jaemin would want to murder someone in cold blood would eventually come. He turns back to his notes. The hypotenuse is terribly annoying.

The last bell of the day finally rings and all the students in their classroom rejoice. After Mr. Choi gives back last week’s workout sheets, they’re dismissed. Jeno looks down at his paper: 73%. Hardly worth anything to be happy about, but he thinks he’s getting better at this whole math thing.

“What did you get?” Jaemin walks up to him, backpack already on his shoulders, green tie perfectly folded around his white shirt and black vest.

Jeno wordlessly shows him the paper before shoving it into his own backpack. “What about you?”

Jaemin shrugs, “Ninety-nine. Apparently Choi wanted us to work with three decimals, what a douchebag.”

He shakes his head in amusement as they make their way into the busy hallway, everyone dying to get home for Halloween.

“You know,” Jaemin links their arms together, leading Jeno out of the crowd of smelly teenagers. In his post-haste, he accidentally hits a cheerleader on the shoulder. Jaemin barely pays her any attention when she turns around with a glare, and it is Jeno who has to apologize with a smile before being dragged by his friend. “I’ve told you, I can just write your name on my tests, Choi wouldn’t know and I could care less about my grades.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jaemin.” Jeno scowls. They make their way to his car, an old but trusty thing his parents had given him as birthday gift earlier in the year. Jeno is proud of her, things were definitely easier knowing how to drive. He opens the trunk and lets Jaemin put his backpack inside before he does the same. It’s all very practiced and domestic.

It is not until they’re both inside and Jeno starts up the ignition, that Jaemin brings it up again.

“I was being serious, Jeno. About killing someone tonight.”

Jeno doesn’t take his eyes off the road, it is absolutely dangerous. “I know you were.”

“I’ll take your silence as a yes, then.” Jaemin nods with the tiniest of smiles on his face. Jeno doesn’t have to glance back at him to know how he looks, the smile imprinted in his head for so long.

“Jaemin, I know you’ve been watching True Crime documentaries your whole life but this is...this is not a good idea.” Jeno shakes his head, “You’re gonna do it and I know you’ll succeed because you’re that type of person. And when you do, you’ll end up in jail.”

“I won’t get caught,” he says looking out the window with a yawn, “Your little faith in me hurts me. But I do have to say, having you there tonight with me will make things easier.”

“Because of my car?” Jeno raises an eyebrow as he takes a turn to Jaemin’s house, his own only a few blocks away.

Jaemin looks back at him with curious eyes, as if the answer is of the most obvious, “No. Because you’re Jeno.”

It’s not a good decision, not even a little. But if Jeno isn’t there with Jaemin, no one else will be. Love is a pretty rotten thing.

“I’ll pick you up at ten.”

✦

By the time Jeno parks his car outside Jaemin’s house, the night has completely settled in the sky. If anything, the stars above are unusually bright and mesmerizing, a far too beautiful night to kill someone.

He wonders if he should shoot his friend a message, but in the end, he decides to knock on the door instead.

“Jeno!” Jaemin’s mom smiles as soon as she opens the door. Her smile is kind and beautiful, Jaemin would look even more like her if he smiled more often. “Haven't seen you in so long!”

“Hi, Ms. Na,” he smiles back warmly. “Yeah. School’s kept me busy, but it's always so nice seeing you,” he says sincerely.

“I still can't believe how handsome you’ve become. I always told your mom you would,” she gushes, her babbling brightening up Jeno’s mood. She looks pointedly at the sole red hoodie he’s sporting, “But come inside, you must be freezing! I’ll lend you one of Nana’s jackets.”

Before Jeno can decline, Jaemin comes out of the house, rushing past his mother. “We're leaving already, bye mom. Don't wait for me.”

“Oh,” Ms. Na looks at her son before breaking out into another grin, “Have fun in your date, Nana! Goodnight, Jeno, say hi to your parents for me.”

“I will,” Jeno laughs with a wave, “Goodnight, Ms. Na!” He runs, trying to catch up with Jaemin, who’s already making his way to the car.

“Date?” he asks Jaemin as he reaches his side, it's a miracle he didn't choke on his saliva the very moment Jaemin’s mom said that.

Jaemin shrugs, “Date.”

It is then that he notices the black sports bag Jaemin is carrying around. “What’s in there?” he points to the bag, opening the trunk yet again so Jaemin can leave it there.

“Spare clothes. Spare knives. You know, useful stuff.”

“Spare _knives?_ ” Jeno bellows as they get inside the car, pulling on the strings of his hoodie.

“What did you think I was going to use?” Jaemin scoffs, taking the passenger seat, “An AK-47? A chainsaw? Put on your seatbelt, safety first, Lee Jeno.”

Jeno grumbles but does as he is told, starting up the car. It is then that he realizes he has no idea where to go. It's not like Jaemin has told him anything revolving his murder plan. “Where are we going? Actually, what are we doing, Jaemin, you gotta tell me stuff if I’m going to be involved in this.”

Jaemin hums, “Drive around Nowon Gym. It's not too far away from here but just far enough.”

“What? What does that mean?” Jeno squints his eyes in suspicion, “And why Nowon? There’s a basketball game tonight there, remember?”

Jaemin rolls his eyes before fidgeting with the radio, “Jeno, I’m not a fool. I know exactly what's happening there. Our loser team will lose yet again against Nowon High School. Splendid.” There seems to be nothing of Jaemin’s taste on the radio, he settles on Jeno’s old TVXQ album. “Lots of people means blending better, an alibi.”

“It also means more witnesses,” Jeno frowns before letting out a sigh, “Jaemin, I only came here to stop you. Is there anyway that's gonna happen?”

“No,” Jaemin purses his lips in stubbornness, “But I appreciate the moral support.”

“Are you that bored with your life, Na Jaemin?” he asks, and when Jaemin turns to look at him, Jeno knows he’s hit right on the nail. Of course he did, knowing Jaemin like the back of his hand comes as easy as breathing.

“I am,” is all his best friend replies. “Utterly bored and dispassionate about life. Life’s a drag and all that, yadda yadda yadda.”

Jeno scowls but doesn't push the subject, instead just turns up the stereo’s volume, the loud melodies of TVXQ’s _Ballons_ filling the small car.

“You always did have a nice music taste,” he says instead, “You picked my favorite album.”

Jaemin gives him a small smile, “I know.”

The rest of the ride is spent in comfortable silence, the one Jeno knows Jaemin likes. Jaemin was right when he said the Nowon neighborhood was not too faraway, after a few minutes of familiar streets that Jeno knows like the back of his hand, the pristine houses of Nowon start popping up.

“Are you planning on killing a suburban mom or what?” Jeno jokes although he hopes, for his sake, that this isn't really true. No murdering moms, please.

“Of course not,” Jaemin frowns, “I’m not a monster, Jeno. I want to kill a basketball jock.”

The drive to the Nowon Gym is tricky, with many twists and turns, especially when the area is surrounded by abundant greenery, but Jeno knows his way, having gone to plenty other basketball games before. “A jock? Any particular reason?” Jaemin doesn't seem the type to kill jocks. But then again, Jaemin doesn't seem the type to kill anyone, yet, here they are.

“No,” he starts, “Just an easier target. I’m easing myself into this job, Jen, gotta start somewhere.”

Before Jeno can screech at that ‘gotta start somewhere’ part, Jaemin calls out, “Here. You can park here. C’mon, let's get out, the game should be over by now.”

Jeno can feel an impending headache coming. He parks the car right where Jaemin pointed at, and before he can even take out the keys and put them in his pocket, Jaemin is out of the car on a whim. “Jesus, Jaemin,” he mutters before trying to catch up with him yet again.

“Let’s start looking,” he says. Just like Jeno, Jaemin is wearing a hoodie, his is black in contrast to Jeno’s dark red one. The wind is blowing against his dark slick hair in cinematic splendor, the way only Jaemin could make cold, dire weather look. If Jaemin wasn't actively trying to look for someone to murder, Jeno would find him attractive.

Except Jeno does find him attractive even as a dormant murderer. It’s not just Jaemin, something ought to be wrong with Jeno too, he thinks.

“Let’s go this way,” Jaemin says before walking up to the sidewalk, heading towards a less crowded space. Right now, students walk out of the gym in post-game adrenaline, some cheering in glee at their team winning, others in despondent gloom. Jeno still thinks being out and about with such murderous intentions is not a good idea, anyone, at any moment, could see Jaemin with the giant knife hidden inside his hoodie.

“Jeno!” Jaemin gasps with something akin to excitement. “He’s perfect.”

Jeno frowns at the choice of words before looking in the direction Jaemin is staring at. There, sitting alone in one of the benches near the other side of the street, is a familiar figure. The crowd of distracted students all walk on the opposite direction, no one even sparing a glance at neither Jeno nor Jaemin.

“That’s Mark Lee.” Jeno deadpans, “You want to kill _Mark Lee?_ ” If anyone would have been paying attention, they would’ve recognized the slight tinge of jealousy in Jeno’s tone. Jealousy mixed with incredulity. Of course, this is unbelievably stupid, even by Jeno standards, because Jaemin wants to _kill_ Mark, nothing more.

“He’s the one, I feel it in my heart.” Jaemin says, never taking his eyes off the hunched figure.

Jeno doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He voices this. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” They walk down the path, stopping just across the street from Mark, who is distractedly looking down at his phone. “He’s alone and everyone’s leaving. I like him.”

Jeno looks at Mark with apprehension, they’re not friends, by any means, but he’s been sharing classes with the boy since freshman year. He’s a pretty nice guy, always willing to lend a hand or laugh at someone else’s joke. “It’s Mark Lee, you can’t possibly kill Mark Lee, you'll go to hell.”

Jaemin looks back at him, a glint in his eye, “Is that a challenge?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, instead, he makes his way across the street, leaving a dumbfounded Jeno in his stead. He looks as Jaemin approaches Mark, the latter finally looking up at the sounds of converse against wet asphalt. Jeno runs after Jaemin, curious and hesitant at the whole exchange.

“Hey, Mark,” Jaemin says, cheshire smile in place. He’s too charismatic when he wants to be, Jeno is very aware of this. It doesn’t hurt that Jaemin has the face of a model, and, by the looks of it, Mark knows it too.

“Jaemin,” Mark says after a few beats of staring at him. He turns his gaze, his head to the side, “And Jeno.” Jeno waves at him shyly, not daring to speak yet. “What are you doing here?”

“We were at the game, of course,” Jaemin grins, stepping up even closer to him, “Wasn’t it fun?”

“I mean, we lost, but yes, it was fun,” he scratches his head with a sheepish smile of his own.

“Anyways, do you want to get out of here?” Jaemin finally says, “Me and Jeno are heading to the park.”

Mark looks at Jaemin before meeting eyes with Jeno, “The park? Isn’t it late? What are you doing there?”

“We’ll just hang out and eat Halloween candy. We’ll buy some on our way there.” Jaemin dismisses. Jeno’s eyes bulge out, what kind of lie is that? No one would ever believe that.

“You’ll get Kit-Kats?” Mark inquires. When Jaemin smiles and nods, he says, “I guess that sounds nice, it’s not like I wanted to head back home so soon.”

“Great!” Jaemin replies with too much enthusiasm, “This is great, I love it.”

“Are you sure, Mark?” Jeno tries, finally speaking, “We’re going to Jugida Park. That’s kind of far from here.”

Jaemin interrupts forcefully, sending a glare Jeno’s way before clapping his hands at once, “Don’t worry, Jeno has a car. It’ll be fun, c’mon, let’s go.” He takes Mark’s hand and helps him get off the bench.

The other boy looks curiously at them both before fumbling with his phone, saying, “Wait, give me a minute, I didn’t come—”

Jeno doesn’t hear what Mark says next, too focused on Jaemin taking out his big butcher knife from out of his hoody’s front pocket. _Oh, my god, he’s really going to do it_ , thinks Jeno, _this is really how Mark Lee from Biology dies._

But before Jaemin can even think to lift his ridiculous murder knife, an ear-piercing voice breaks through the air. “Mark Lee! I’ve been looking for you! How dare you leave me alone with your hotdog?”

The noise startles Jeno as much as it does Jaemin, who jumps in surprise and puts back the knife in the safety of his giant pocket at incredibly fast speed.

“Hey, Hyuck!” Mark looks up from his phone, broad smile appearing on his face, “I couldn’t find you, I was just about to text you!” Donghyuck walks up to Mark, handing him a bland hotdog before sliding a territorial arm around his waist, bringing him close. When he looks back at Jaemin and Jeno, it is with hostile suspicion. “Did I just see a knife in your hands, Na Jaemin?”

Jaemin smiles innocently, “I see you’re not wearing your glasses tonight, Donghyuck.” His voice gets colder, unlike the one he was using with Mark a few minutes ago, “Why would I have a goddamn knife with me?”

“You tell me,” Donghyuck says back with as much force. Jeno and Mark stand there wordlessly for a few seconds before Mark finally speaks up, breaking up the tension.

“Hyuck, Jaemin asked if we wanted to hang out with them tonight.” He smiles, “I said yes, we were looking for something to do anyway, right?”

Donghyuck looks at Mark with disbelief before glancing back at Jaemin, distaste obvious in his face. “You want me to spend my precious Friday night with Jaemin?”

It is to everyone's knowledge, at least to anyone who actually cares enough, that Donghyuck and Jaemin dislike each other. It is not due to anything in particular, at least nothing that Jeno knows of, but their brash personalities have always clashed since middle school days.

“I didn't know you were here with Donghyuck, Mark,” Jaemin purses his lips, and if Jeno knew any better, it would almost look like a pout. “This was certainly not in the plans.”

Donghyuck frowns, bringing Mark even closer to him, “Why would Mark be here alone, you snake? He’s here with me, his boyfriend. Wherever he goes, I go.”

“That sounds unhealthy,” Jaemin quips with a sniff.

“Rich coming from you, really,” Donghyuck rolls his eyes, “Anyways, if you want Mark to hang out with you, then I’m going too.”

“In that case, we’ll just leave—”

Jeno sees this as an opportunity; Jaemin wants to kill Mark without witnesses, having Donghyuck there would make it impossible, if they stick with them both throughout the night, Jaemin won't have any chances at all.

“Of course, Donghyuck!” Jeno says cheerfully, “There's plenty of room in my car.”

Donghyuck, who had been too occupied with Mark and Jaemin, finally looks at Jeno, who starts fidgeting under his judging stare. “You're alright Jeno,” he eyes him up and down as he taps his foot, pensive, “Fine, we’ll go with you, keep your enemies close and all that, I suppose.”

“You’re too paranoid, Donghyuck,” Mark laughs, entangling their fingers together and following Jeno and Jaemin back to the car. If anything, Jeno thinks, Donghyuck has a very sharp sense, almost as sharp as the knife Jaemin is hiding.

Jaemin lets Donghyuck and Mark walk ahead, slowing his pace to walk alongside Jeno, he leans in with a whisper, “Good thinking, Jeno, I’ve always wanted to kill Lee Donghyuck too.”

✦

“Sick, you got Coldplay too!” Mark rummages through Jeno’s car album collection. “This is my favorite album.”

“What a boring local, Jeno,” Donghyuck yawns, head against the window of the backseat. He’s as far away from Jaemin as possible. Jeno finds their sitting arrangements entertaining, to say the least. He’s driving, of course, but instead of Jaemin riding shotgun, it’s Mark, who had brightly asked if he could DJ the music on their way to the park. That forced Jaemin and Donghyuck to ride together in the backseat, each of them on a side of the car, ignoring the other. Jeno finds it funny, and judging by the smile he shares with Mark, he thinks Mark shares his sentiment.

Jaemin doesn’t bother talking to them, too focused looking out the window. Jeno can tell from the rearview window that Jaemin is getting sleepy, the lull of the car ride rocking him to tranquility. He smiles at his friend, who looks nothing short of an angel, knowing Jaemin though, he’s probably thinking up of ways to cut up Mark and Donghyuck into tiny pieces.

“Excuse me Lee Jeno,” Donghyuck says with no worries in the world as he looks at his phone, the luminous screen lighting up his features. “You’re gonna have to make a turn here. To the left and back to the main street.”

“What?” Jeno asks, Mark and Jaemin also looking at Donghyuck, Mark in curiosity, but Jaemin looks more than miffed.

“And why is that?” Jaemin frowns at the shorter boy, “We’re on a schedule here, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck doesn’t even turn to look at Jaemin and dismisses him with a wave, “Huang Renjun’s close by. I told we’d pick him up.” He looks up and meets gazes with Jeno, too knowing for his taste, “That won’t be a problem will it?”

“Yeah, he’s not invited.” Jaemin speaks, irritation visible on his face.

Jeno is the one with the car though, not Jaemin, so ultimately he’s the one taking the decisions. He wants to bring Renjun along, maybe the more the merrier. Merrier as in Jaemin won’t assassinate them all; it’d be impossible to. But then again, Jaemin always does as he intends, maybe bringing Renjun along would mean three murders instead of two. The thing is, Jaemin _knows_ Renjun: he's Chenle's older brother and Chenle is Jisung's best friend and Jisung is Jaemin's most precious little brother. Even considering his intentions, Jeno doesn’t think Jaemin is capable of hurting someone he’s semi-likes. Renjun is exactly who he needs right now.

The forceful swerve he takes pushes Jaemin and Donghyuck to the side, both squished against each other.

“You’re not really picking Renjun up, are you?” Jaemin tells him, dignified, “Jeno, he’s _not_ invited.” Jeno can tell a warning when he hears it.

“Well I’m inviting him.” Jeno shrugs, looking back at the road, “Where is he, Donghyuck?”

“By the Seven-Eleven on Main Street.” Donghyuck sounds entirely too smug, Jeno fears Jaemin will punch him any second now. That’s pretty tame though, considering Jaemin has a literal knife under his hoodie. He’s not stupid, Jeno knows this, Jaemin wouldn’t risk killing anyone inside Jeno’s car. There’d be too much blood.

By the time he pulls by the convenience store, Renjun’s already waiting there, hands in his pockets. He waves at them from afar with an excited grin. Renjun is a very fun and easy-going guy, even being one of the few students whom Jaemin genuinely likes. He parks the car right next to Renjun, who scurries inside with a shiver and a smile. “Hey guys, gosh, it’s so cold outside.”

“Hey, Renjun!” Mark jumps from the front seat, “Happy Halloween!”

“Happy Halloween, Mark,” The other boy huffs, “Thank god you texted me, I thought I was gonna be stuck babysitting Chenle for the night. Nice seeing you all.” He looks around the people in the car before raising an eyebrow, “Didn’t know ya’ll knew each other.”

“Correct,” Jaemin deadpans, fuming in his seat, now completely pressed in between the door and Donghyuck. “This feels like a damn clown car. And I completely blame Jeno for this.”

“Chill, Jaemin, it's Halloween.” Jeno gives him the most innocent smile he can muster. “It's fun.”

Jaemin glares at him through the rearview window. “I’ll still do it, you know. You think I won't but I will.”

“Anyways, what do you want to listen to?” Jeno ignores his friend, opting to look at the others with an eye smile, hands still on the steering wheel. “I got a whole album collection in here.”

“Play some MJ, losers,” Donghyuck whines, “We need good music in here.”

There’s still a good twenty minutes to Jugida Park. Jeno knows why Jaemin’s chosen that place in particular: it's a giant open space, half of it is covered in an abundance of trees, and during the night, you can't see more than a few meters in front of you. Killing Mark there, with his guard down and alone, would've been a piece of cake. Now, with both Donghyuck and Renjun and an uncooperative Jeno, everything will become far more troublesome for Jaemin. Looking at Jaemin’s gloomy and pouty state makes Jeno feel the littlest bit remorseful, even if in the long run, he’s doing this to help his friend.

“Play Exo!” Renjun demands, jumping in his seat trying to reach for the stereo.

“Renjun, sit back down, it's dangerous,” Jaemin chastises, grabbing the boy by his sweater and sitting him down.

Mark laughs at the exchange but does find an Exo album to play, putting it on the stereo. The melodies of a catchy pop song resonate through the enclosed space. Renjun and Mark do their attempt at choreography as best as they can, making Donghyuck laugh, who soon joins them with exaggerated vocals, filling the car with even more ruckus. Jeno laughs quietly, making eye contact with Jaemin through the mirror before shrugging and singing along too.

“C’mon, I know you like kpop too, you doofus,” Renjun nudges Jaemin on the shoulder, “And I know you rap really well.”

The car is dark, but even like that, Jeno knows Jaemin well enough to know there's a light blush on his cheeks. “Maybe I do,” Jaemin says and Jeno smiles and feels warm in the bottom of his stomach.

Jeno looks back at the road, where the dim lights do a poor job of clearing the path and bare trees that sway along with the increasingly chilly weather make the scenery too dark for his liking. Jeno sees no houses in sight anymore, knowing that they've left the suburban part of Nowon behind.

“Oh,” Donghyuck lets out a whine, “My phone died, anyone got a power bank?”

Jeno nods, “There is one in the dashboard compartment, Mark can hand it to you.”

“C’mon, Mark, you know I need my Twitter notifications.” Donghyuck says impatiently, “Hurry.”

Mark hums in response, “I can't see very well, wait up.” He uses his phone’s flashlight to see better, blinking at the sudden bright light.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jeno sees Mark struggle with compartment. “You have to pull really hard once and then click,” he says, eyes still on the road. Mark attempts to, but he is still unsuccessful.

“This is peak useless culture.” Renjun mentions, watching everything play in front of him. Jaemin nods once, looking as Jeno and Mark attempt to open the dashboard and listening as Donghyuck irritatingly whines that he needs the power bank _now._

“I can't—I can't open it,” Mark grunts, still pulling.

Jeno leans forward, holding onto the compartment’s handle and pushing upwards, finally opening it up. Before he can take ahold of the power bank, however, Mark's shriek fills the car—

“Watch out!” Mark leans in, grabbing the steering wheel himself, trying to steer the car to the left. Jeno only had seconds to see what was in front of him, a blurry figure flashed across the window. Mark’s hold on the steering wheel and Jeno’s step on the brake, however, are useless. The car violently collides against something, making everyone brutally surge forward. There’s a faint cry and Jeno thinks it might be Donghyuck, but he’s too disoriented by the crash to come to his senses so quickly.

“Is… is everyone ok?” Mark says, wide eyes and hand on his chest, as if stopping his heart from jumping out. “Donghyuck, are you hurt?”

Mark unbuckles his seatbelt, sitting up to look at the rest of their friends. Jeno himself is still too dizzy to stand up, but he manages to check on Jaemin through the mirror. Jaemin looks a little dumbstruck but otherwise he doesn’t appear injured. _Are you ok?_ Jeno mouths, when Jaemin nods back in silence, he feels relief wash through him.

“I… I think I broke my nose!” Donghyuck wails. He holds a hand against his face, clearly scared. “Am I bleeding? I think I’m bleeding, Mark! My nose!”

“Ok, stay still,” Mark leans in, trying to check his boyfriend’s face, “Stop moving and stay still, Hyuck!” He checks his face with careful hands, not a single trace of blood on it, “You’re fine, babe, probably just a bruise or something.” Donghyuck doesn’t seem satisfied, trying to check on the mirror himself.

“Guys, not saying Donghyuck’s stupid nose isn’t important,” Renjun speaks up, “But… can we check what we crashed into.”

“Might’ve been a deer,” Jaemin says, “Or something big.” He’s the first one out the door, letting all the unbearably cold wind gust into the car. Jeno unbuckles his seatbelt too, not wanting Jaemin to stay outside by himself. He sees Renjun and Mark follow suit.

Jaemin, who is a few paces in front of him, stops in his tracks. His hands are inside his hoodie and his stare is unmoving. Jeno feels a tremor in his body at the sight. There’s something in Jaemin’s eyes, Jeno can’t figure out what it is. For a moment he forgets about the crash and the dead deer and only stares at his friend in wonder. It is when Mark yells, once again, that Jeno is brought back down to earth. He runs to the front of the car and he truly wishes he hadn’t. There, right in the middle of the road, a bloody human corpse lays, just in front of Jaemin.

It’s a terrible sight, something he wants to forget instantly. It’s the body of a man, old, if his hair and wrinkles are any indication. Strangely, he’s wearing a suit, even at this hour of the night and in this random place in the middle of the suburbs. His whole body seems to be intact, however, it is when you get to his head that the mess of brains and blood is visible against the asphalt. There’s a nasty dent starting from his forehead until the middle of his cracked skull. Fresh dark blood drips from his head down across his features, leaving wet traces all over his face. This is too much for Jeno, he’s never seen anything like this before. Maybe once in one of Jaemin’s stupid horror movies, but never in real life and never as gruesome as this. He feels his non-existent dinner make way its way up. Before he can move to the side of the road to throw up, Mark’s own retching is heard through the empty silence.

“I think that’s an eye,” Renjun manages to say, pointing to a white orb. Sure enough, if Jeno looks close enough, a giant eyeball, still with the thick, red optic nerve attached to it, lays just a few centimeters away from the man’s face, where a single eye socket is empty.

“What the fuck,” bellows Donghyuck, “Is this man dead?!”

“No shit, Donghyuck,” Renjun says, lightly poking the man with his feet. “I don’t think he’s alive if half of his brains are out in the open.”

“We need to…” Jeno manages to find his voice, stare still on the corpse, “We need to call an ambulance. Or the police.”

“The ambulance would be useless, don’t you think, Jeno?” Donghyuck snaps, walking over to Mark’s still bent figure to check on him.

“Call the police then!” Jeno panics, fumbling with his phone and typing out his password incorrectly twice, before looking at Renjun, “We gotta… we gotta do something quick guys.”

Renjun looks over at Donghyuck and Mark before tentatively taking out his phone. Before he can even turn it on, Jaemin walks over and takes it out of his hands in a swift motion. “No.”

“Jaemin?” Renjun asks, eyeing his phone, “We need to call someone.”

“What are you doing Jaemin?” Jeno says in alarm, trying to take the phone from him but Jaemin is too quick.

“If I see any of you with your phone out, I’ll take it from you and break it,” he warns them. His gaze is cold and calculating, “Mark, stop being a pussy and stand up. I need you here.”

“What are you on about you crazy asshole?” Donghyuck stands up,  “Did you hit your head in the crash?”

Jaemin ignores the jab, walking back to the lifeless body, examining it for a few seconds before looking back at them all. Mark makes his way back to them again, looking worse for wear. “If you call the police, what do you think it’s gonna happen?” No one replies. Jaemin’s gaze turn hard. “Jeno’s going to jail.”

Jeno feels his heart drop. Jaemin is right, he was the one behind the wheel, everything is his fault, this man is dead because of him.

“So here’s what we’re going to do,” Jaemin continues in a slightly cheerful tone, “You’re all going to shut up and help me get rid of the body.”

Jeno is speechless, Jaemin can’t be serious right now. This all feels like a nightmare. Sure, it wasn’t like this whole night started out as a dream, in fact, this outcome was predicted. But this is a mistake, Jeno wasn’t the one supposed to kill someone, not him!

No one else says anything, Renjun’s face is unreadable, Mark is still looking at the body, trembling, and Donghyuck… Jeno can see Donghyuck’s annoyed face, can see his eyes move, thinking. _Why would I do this for Jeno? It wasn’t me who did it, it was Jeno!_ He can feel Donghyuck think that, he knows this is what’s whirring through his mind. It appears Jaemin sees this too.

He levels his gaze with Donghyuck, “It’s not only Jeno though,” he starts, voice laced with threats, “I saw what happened, Donghyuck. All Jeno did was hit the brakes. But it was Mark who moved the steering wheel that actually killed the guy.”

Mark finally looks up, eyes wide in terror, Jaemin’s words sinking in. “It was… it was an accident.” Mark starts, “We can still call the cops and tell them it was an accident.”

There’s silence from Jaemin and Donghyuck who only stare at each other with burning gazes, a silent fight. It is Donghyuck who finally breaks, eyes watering before he turns away, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. “How the fuck do we get rid of a body?”

Renjun sighs but doesn’t fight anyone, just pats Mark’s back in consolation before crouching down next to the body.

Jeno still has no words to speak, his mouth dry, however, he still manages to walk up to Jaemin and croak out, “Jaemin, we can’t do this. You can’t do this, it’s crazy.”

Jaemin seems to realize his trembling body, and for once, it is Jaemin who takes hold of him, hands holding onto each of Jeno’s cheeks. He looks at him straight in the eyes as he says, “Don’t worry, I got you. I’ll fix this for you, trust me, Jeno.” Jeno sees Jaemin’s earnest eyes, brown, dark, warm. He trusts no one in the world more than he trusts Na Jaemin.

He nods, still scared and still shocked, but at least he knows Jaemin is with him, like always. Jeno feels the cold air hit him as soon as Jaemin removes his hands from his face, turning around in an instant.

Donghyuck and Mark are intently looking at the corpse as Renjun, who’s grimacing, has his hand inside the man’s jacket. “Here it is!” he says triumphantly, taking out a leather wallet. He rummages through it, but his face falls as soon as he peeks into it. “There’s nothing. No ID, no money, no pictures.”

“That’s good, then.” Jaemin says. “Keep the wallet, we’ll get rid of it later.” Jeno, who is finally calming himself down, looks at his friends who all seem to be doing much better than himself, even Mark has sobered up. “What are we gonna do, then?” Donghyuck asks, “Bury him? Cus we have no shovels and I’m sure anyone buying one at midnight is instantly suspicious of murder.”

“We could burn him,” Renjun shrugs, “That gets rid of DNA.”

Jaemin shakes his head, “Don’t be daft Renjun, the smoke would be too visible, might as well just turn us in to the police.”

“Well, what do you suggest, Mr. Creeps,” Donghyuck adds, “I’m sure you know the best way to get rid of a body.”

The glint and smile on Jaemin’s face is back. “Of course I do.”

✦

“This is absolutely disgusting,” Donghyuck splutters, face scrunched up, “There's literally old man ass in my face.” He struggles to carry the corpse out of the trunk, Jaemin on one side, Renjun on the other, while Donghyuck gets the middle.

“Hey, at least you don't have a fucking eyeless face looking at you up close!” Renjun grunts as they start their trek into the wooded area of Jugida Park. Jeno is behind them, carrying Jaemin’s black handbag, while Mark holds a small plastic bag. He looks squeamish, and with good reason, the man’s eyeball is inside there.

After they had put the corpse in Jeno’s trunk, Jaemin had given orders: drive to Jugida, where they would dispose of the body.

“It’d help if you weren't so noisy,” Jaemin wheezes at the weight of the man.

“What if his ghost comes back?” Donghyuck adds, “God, what if it comes back to haunt us and kill us?”

“Donghyuck, stop,” Mark trembles, “I have his damn eye right here.”

“Oh, well sorry, Mark,” Donghyuck grunts, “I’m sorry you have his eye. I hadn't noticed, seeing as I was too occupied holding his _whole corpse_.”

Renjun rolls his eyes at the pair before turning to Jaemin, “Anyways, what are we doing Jaemin? Hyuck’s right, we don't have time to get a shovel. What’s next?”

“There are,” Jaemin huffs out, still struggling with the weight, “Catfish ponds here in Jugida.”

“Catfish?” Mark asks, “What does that mean?”

“Catfish eat anything. When, I say anything, I really mean anything. Bone, flesh, organs. We just need to get rid of… a few things first.”

“Calm down, you're gonna make Mark throw up again.” Jeno snorts as he sees Mark’s face turn green, “But, what do you mean get rid of a few things first, Jaemin?”

“We have to cut off his fingers, toes and teeth.”

“Shut the fuck up, I’m gonna be the one to throw up,” Donghyuck mumbles, starting to look sick himself.

The only light in this part of the park comes from the minimal moonlight that’s penetrating through the trees’ frond and from Mark’s and Jeno’s phones, who light the way with shaking fingers. The wind is unbearably cold now, and Jeno thinks he should’ve taken Ms. Na’s advice and gotten himself an extra layer.

“Here,” Jaemin calls out, slumping the lower part of the body on a patch of dirt, “We can do that here.” Renjun and Donghyuck stop as well, heaving as they dump the body on the floor.

“Jeno, take out two extra knives from the bag.” Jaemin instructs.

“Extra knives?” Donghyuck cries out, “Bitch, what the fuck do you even do? Why do you have extra knives?”

Jeno puts the light bag on the floor and opens it with clumsy hands, three incredibly sharp butcher knives gleaming under the moonlight. They’re identical to the one his friend has on him. He leaves one on the bag and hands two of them to Jaemin, who examines them carefully before looking at the rest of them with contemplating eyes. He seems to be deciding something.

Finally, he speaks, “Renjun, here,” he hands one of the knives to Renjun, who only grimaces but takes the object wordlessly, looking at it with curiosity, “You’ll be in charge of the toes. Don’t worry about being careful.”

Donghyuck hisses at the mental image, then looks back at Mark and Jeno for a few seconds. “I hate this. I hate this so much.” He walks over to Jaemin, taking the second knife from him, “Give the knife to me, Norman, you’re clearly not gonna give it to Jeno over there.”

“Take the knife as a compliment,” Jaemin shrugs, taking out his own knife. Donghyuck glowers before kneeling down next to Renjun, who has already taken off the man’s shoes and socks.

“Mark,” Jaemin says carefully, looking over at the oldest boy, “You have a special job. Very important.”

“Me?” Mark stutters before taking a deep breath, getting a hold of himself, “Ok, ok. What do I do?”

“I need you to go out and look for a dead animal.” Jaemin says seriously, “A dead raccoon, a dead bird. Anything you can find, just try and find something relatively big and bring it back here. Ok?”

Mark pauses for a few seconds, analyzing the words he’s just heard and taking another big gulp of air. He looks down at Donghyuck, knife in hand, before nodding back at Jaemin, “I’ll be right back.”

It is when Mark leaves, that Jaemin holds on tightly to his knife. It’s only a fraction of a second but Jeno wonders if Jaemin is also nervous about this whole thing. He has to, contrary to what Donghyuck believes, Jaemin is not a cold blood murderer, he never got the chance, at least. Jeno knows his friend must be hiding any nervousness or apprehension under the necessary facade. If it weren’t for Jaemin and his orders, the rest of the group would be in a shambles of vomit, tears and screams.

“Here’s what you’re gonna do, Donghyuck,” Jaemin says slowly, pointing to the dead man’s left hand. “You cut off all five fingers from that hand. I’ll cut off the ones from this hand. Renjun, you get the toes. After that, I’ll do the teeth alone.” Renjun grimaces, Donghyuck sighs.

“Jeno,” Jaemin looks back at him, “Start digging a hole there. There’s a small spade in my bag, use that. Make it deep but not too big, just enough to hide the plastic bag."

“You also have a spade?” Renjun inquires, shaking his head, “Part of the gardening club, I suppose?”

“Yes,” Jaemin replies, face blank, “These extremities won’t cut off by itselves, get to work.”

The first squelsh of metal against skin is disgusting. Jeno tries not to look at the body and instead focuses on the hole he’s supposed to be making. It’s hard to do so, especially when the revolting sounds of cutting flesh reverberate through the space.

“This is gross!” Renjun wails, tiny trickles of blood splattering across his face as he stabs the feet again and again.

“I’ve hit the bone. I think I’m gonna vomit,” Donghyuck replies. His face is the same as Renjun’s, splattering of blood staining his face and sweater, but he keeps on stabbing, detaching every single finger from the man’s hand. “That idiot Mark better not say I don’t do anything for him ever again.”

“Don’t stop until you’re done!” Jaemin calls out, puncturing his assigned hand with incredible force. Jeno can feel the slight tremor in his voice and his heart aches. He wishes he could go and hug and comfort him just like Jaemin did before for him but alas, he has a job to do and Jaemin is covered in blood and slashed skin that is not his own.

When the sounds of crunched bones and metal subside little by little, Jeno has a sizeable hole, just a bit bigger than the plastic bag and of considerable depth.

“Place the fingers and toes on the plastic bag,” Jaemin exhales, breathing heavily and hands full of blood. Donghyuck and Renjun are not faring much better. “I’ll… work on the teeth now. You just make sure to put everything in that bag. Including your bloody shirts and the man's.”

“Jaem, it's really cold out here,” Renjun looks down at his stained sweatshirt, “Do we really have to?”

“I rather be naked than have this guy’s blood on me for more than a second,” Donghyuck shudders, “Wait. Na, are you saying we have to get the old man naked?”

Jaemin doesn't respond, too busy getting ready for what Jeno thinks it's the worst part: the teeth. Jeno doesn't dare to look, instead, he grabs Jaemin’s backpack and opens it again, “There's spare shirts in here, guys. Just wash your hands with the bottled water before changing.”

Taking off the corpse’s clothes is gruesome, but after the bloodied mess they made with his fingers and toes, this seems like a walk in the park. Either way, it seems infinitely easier than Jaemin’s job, and for that, Renjun and Donghyuck are thankful.

Jeno hands them each a water bottle so they can rinse off the blood from their hands and face before changing shirts. Since they're both smaller and shorter than Jaemin, who is all tall and gangly limbs, the long sleeved shirts hang from their frame in ridiculous fashion.

Jeno collects the fingers, something he never thought he’d do in his lifetime, before putting everyone’s dirty clothes in the bag, including the now naked corpse’s too. Jaemin, who is the last one to finish, throws the teeth into the bag along with his black hoodie.

“There’s no more shirts, Jaemin,” Jeno chews his lip in worry. The cold is harsher now, “Do you want my hoodie?”

Jaemin shakes his head, “It's fine, we're almost done here, anyways.”

A dead squirrel drops in the ground in front of Jeno, its dead beady eyes staring right at him. “Fuck!” he yells in surprise, stepping away from the dead animal.

“Got it,” Mark lets out a heave. Even with the sparse lighting, Jeno is able to see not only the beads of sweat accumulating on Mark’s forehead, but the tracks of dry tears across his cheeks. Donghyuck seems to notice as well, instantly worried.

“Are you alright, Mark?” his boyfriend asks, walking up to him. For all the brashness and loud personality that he emanates, Jeno thinks Donghyuck is extremely protective, especially when it comes to Mark Lee. He likes this side of Donghyuck.

“Yeah,” Mark stammers out, “I brought… I brought a squirrel.”

“You killed it,” Jaemin declares, looking at the single puncture on the animal’s tiny body. He almost sounds impressed.

Mark looks solemn and it is until then that Jeno notices the third spare knife in his hand. Jeno thinks they ought to give Mark more credit. It’s a weird thing to be proud of, a dead squirrel, but it still feels like Jeno should. “I couldn't find anything else. I’m sorry.”

“It's ok,” Donghyuck manages to say, rubbing Mark’s back. “You had to do it.”

“Yeah,” Renjun adds sympathetically, “Your boyfriend just cut up a man’s fingers, it’s fine.”

Donghyuck pointedly ignores that before looking at Jaemin with a slight burrow of the eyebrows, “Why do we need a dead animal?”

Jaemin grabs the plastic bag and closes it off neatly with a tight knot. He dumps it unceremoniously in the hole Jeno has made. “I’m not saying it’s going to happen but _if_ the police or anyone else ever uses police dogs to sniff out dead bodies, or in this case, fingers and teeth, all they'll find is a dead squirrel.” He gives a slight smirk before he starts covering the hole with more dirt.

Jeno goes to help him, grabbing the moist dirt and filling the hole. He understands what Jaemin means when half of the hole is half filled back again. Jaemin kicks the poor dead squirrel into it, only to start throwing more dirt, finally covering the hole completely.

Renjun watches, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, impressed, “You're truly a wack job, Na Jaemin, but you know your stuff.”

Jaemin looks at him, preening under the compliment for the first time that night. Donghyuck rolls his eyes before looking down at the body. “We need to rid of naked big guy, please, I hate looking at his bare ass.

“The catfish are only a few meters away from here,” Jaemin dusts off his pants, “We need to carry him again, though.”

“Oh, fuck that,” Donghyuck bellows. “Mark, if you really love me, you’ll be the one to carry him this time around.”

“I second that,” Renjun agrees with a twist of the lips, “C’mon, Jeno, it's only the dismembered head, at least you don't get the ass.”

In the end, Jeno does end up carrying the corpse’s head, Jaemin, once again, the feet, and Mark, tragically, gets stuck with the naked mid-body.

Donghyuck and Renjun look far too relieved and entertained.

This time around the trek isn't too far, Jaemin was right, a silvery pond that stretches far into the park soon comes into view.

“There's a thousand catfish living here,” he explains, “By tomorrow morning, most of the corpse will be gone, I tell you.”

“Well, that’s certainly impressive. Thank you for your service carnivorous fucking fish.” Donghyuck cheers bitterly.

“Guys,” Renjun says, looking down at the body at the edge of the pond. “I know it’s late and we all want to get rid of this guy, but. I think we should say a few words in his honor.”

Jeno looks down at the dismembered, still nameless man. “He doesn’t even have a name.”

“Frank,” Jaemin breaks the silence, “Let’s call him Frank.”

Jeno takes a deep breath, “Frank, we never knew you, so we can’t really say you were a good man. But if it’s any consolation, we are deeply sorry this happened tonight.”

“I’m sorry I cut off your toes.” Renjun adds.

“And I guess I’m sorry for saying your old man butt was nasty.” Donghyuck nods, eyes closed and serious.

“Sorry for killing Frankie the squirrel in your name.” Mark replies, voice etched with deep sadness, “I hope he’s keeping you company now.”

“That’s,” Renjun looks at Mark with a mix of revulsion and understanding, “That’s sweet, Mark. I think.”

Jaemin is the last one to look at Frank, strange look in his eyes as he stays silent for a few seconds. “Sorry for dumping you in a pond full of catfish.” And with that, Jaemin pushes the body into the water.

Jeno looks at it sink into the darkness and, even though he still feels entirely guilty, a weight is lifted off his chest, he’s finally able to breathe. He watches the dark water for a few more minutes, the night suddenly calm, the horrible breezes from before gone. The only sounds come from the crickets nearby, and, just as fast as Frank came into their lives, he disappears deep into the pond, where hundreds of catfish welcome him.

When he turns around, he finds four other faces already looking at him.

“I think it goes without saying,” Donghyuck starts, “That no one other than us should ever know about this.”

Renjun nods, “Don’t speak about it to anyone.”

“Take this to your grave,” Jaemin adds, “Not literally.”

“You gotta stop being so creepy, Jaemin,” Donghyuck whines, “Seriously.”

Mark breaks the tension with a genuine laugh, bright.

Jeno smiles along, the moonlight pond as his background. Maybe things went awfully wrong that night, but he couldn’t have gotten stuck with better people.

✦

It’s nearly 5AM when the sun is starting to rise, painfully slow. Still, the natural light is more than welcome to Jeno, the night sky a grim reminder of the night he just had.

They’d drop off Renjun nearly fifteen minutes ago, and Mark and Donghyuck half an hour ago. They’d said their goodbyes with tired smiles and knowing eyes. Jeno doesn’t know if they’ll ever talk about it, he doesn’t even know if they’ll ever become as close as they were this night. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but he thinks they will.

Next to him, on the passenger seat once again, Jaemin yawns, hair fluffy and disheveled, arms still bare and probably cold.

He parks in front of Jaemin’s house just like he did yesterday when he dropped him off from school, somehow that feels like ages ago. Before Jaemin can open the door, Jeno stops him, a hand on Jaemin’s arm.

“Thank you, Jaem,” he says, looking into Jaemin’s eyes just like Jaemin had done before. They’re still warm and dark.

Jaemin shrugs, “There’s nothing to thank.” He gives the softest smile, one Jeno knows he’s the sole reciprocant of.

“Of course there is,” Jeno continues, “You… you did all that for me. Jaemin, I owe you so much.”

Jaemin frowns, pink lips pursed, as if Jeno is the one not understanding. Maybe he doesn’t. “Jeno, you were willing to help me kill someone just because I asked you to. What I did for you tonight was nothing.”

Jeno lets the words seep into his brain, echoing “I kind of sabotaged you, though,” Jeno snorts, “I really did.”

Jaemin hums, looking down at his hands, “A little glad you did, though.”

“What was that?” Jeno heard clearly.

Jaemin frowns, “Getting rid of that body… I’m not going to lie, it sure did give me the adrenaline I wanted but… it wasn't as fun as I thought it’d be. Thank you for not letting me kill Mark. And Renjun.”

“And Donghyuck?”

“I guess he's alright,” Jaemin rolls his eyes, “Donghyuck too.”

Jeno laughs, the crinkles by his eyes deepening. Jaemin continues, “When the idea that you could go to prison flashed through my head, I couldn't bare it, Jeno. And I understood you a little in that moment. I was scared.”

“Are you saying you're giving up your life of crime?” Jeno jokes, holding on to Jaemin’s hand.

Jaemin looks up with a grimace, "It didn't even start.”

“Maybe you can look up other hobbies, I heard stitching’s nice and relaxing."

Jaemin pretends to think for a moment, hand in chin, “Baking also sounds like a good idea.”

Jeno sighs contently. His night was all kinds of horrible, he saw way too much blood, way too much knives and death but right now, everything’s fine, at least for a moment, because Na Jaemin is that constant in his life, right beside him. The warmth in his hand right now, as he holds onto Jeno, is worth a thousand suns.

He leans in with a kiss. When Jaemin reciprocates, Jeno can’t say he’s surprised. Knows Jaemin more than anything else in the world, remember?

“Jeno?” Jaemin mumbles against his lips, soft and warm.

“Yeah?” is all he can manage to reply, soaking in Jaemin’s warmth as the cold dawn approaches.

Jaemin snorts, sliding his thumb across Jeno’s face, “You got blood on your cheek.”

✦

 

**Author's Note:**

> can i just say, i loved writing hyuck in this fic... thank u for my life lord haechan.  
> kudos and comments are always appreciated it!
> 
> i'm also on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ten_taeil) and [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/nzt127)!
> 
> thank you for reading!


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